Testament of the New Ezekiel
Testament of the New Ezekiel is an antagonistic cult led by Sullivan Knoth that appears in Outlast 2. The group resides in a remote settlement known as Temple Gate. The cult's insignia is a cross with two interlocking wheels in reference to the prophet Ezekiel's vision. Their goal is to prevent the Anti-Christ from being born through systematic child murder. In reality, it is likely that they do not have any divine visions, but have been driven insane by a malfunctioning experiment created by the Murkoff Corporation. The sect has two splinter groups that accompany it throughout the outskirts of Temple Gate - The Heretics, a separate cult who believe the Anti-Christ should be born, and The Scalled, former members of the Testament devolved into freakish monstrosities via severe diseases and exiled out into the nearby forests. Plot As Blake and Lynn Langermann investigate the murder of a Jane Doe, they're led to the canyons of northern Arizona. Because of the location's inaccessibility by road vehicles, the two take a chopper which ends up crashing in a narrow ravine due to issues with the chopper's engine. Blake wakes up some time after, only to discover that Lynn's missing. Venturing deeper, Langermann soon realizes that he's been stranded in a remote village that's inhabited by a delirious cult who believes that the end of times is upon them. The Testament intends on torturing and murdering Lynn and her unborn child as they believe it's the Anti-Christ, however she escapes and is kidnapped by the Heretics instead. The cultists spend the entire night relentlessly pursuing Blake throughout Temple Gate, occasionally clashing with the Heretics due to their polar opposite views. After members of the Testament storm the mines and begin slaughtering the rival cultists, it can be assumed that the Testament won the civil war and all Heretics are killed. By the end of the game, every last member of the Testament of the New Ezekiel, including Knoth himself, has committed mass suicide, mostly via cyanide poisoning''Outlast: The Murkoff Account'' Epilogue as they had ultimately failed at their goals, with Lynn giving birth to the 'Anti-Christ' and Knoth no longer able to hear 'God'. Characteristics The followers of the Testament of the New Ezekiel are maniacally devoted and loyal to Sullivan Knoth and the word of the so-called God he speaks of. Most of them are completely insane and cannot tell the difference between reality and fantasy anymore, a resultant of the microwave radio towers placed around the area by the Murkoff Corporation. They have completely cut themselves off from society at large, although some members still go to the "damned world" to buy medicine, gasoline, batteries and other necessities.Sundries from the Sinful World Temple Gate's inhabitants follow the "Testament of the New Ezekiel", a religious text written by Knoth that calls him God's prophet and is also heavy with sexual imagery, in addition to religious imagery. Most of the cultists are innately violent, and will immediately attempt to murder Blake when spotted, some only attack him when provoked and others are completely unresponsive to his presence. When searching for or chasing Blake they are usually heard spouting or mumbling warped religious passages. While some members of the cult relished in killing their own children to prevent the birth of the Anti-Christ, others are deeply remorseful for what they've done, some to the point of suicide,My Dear Sweet Ellie for committing such an atrocity. Ethan Lee was a notable member who covertly renounced his faith due to his guilt. Ultimately, a combination of madness, regret and their faith in Knoth and his God prove to be the cult's undoing as all the members commit suicide via poisoning when their mission to prevent the Anti-Christ's birth failed. Physical descriptions The majority of the Testament followers appear to range from being middle-aged to elderly. While many of the villagers have relatively ordinary physical appearances, others appear to have deformed and repulsive facial features, suggesting that some of them are inbred. The Testament followers wear rural, wholly outdated clothing which would have been considered ordinary clothing many decades prior to contemporary events. Some of them even wear rags and are barefooted, while others simply wear overall suspenders and nothing else. On the other hand, rarer examples of Testament followers who predominantly live near the chapel appear to wear executioner hoods and robes. Notable Members *Sullivan Knoth (Leader) *Marta (Second-in-Command; enforcer) *Val (Formerly; leader of the Heretics) *Josiah (Formerly) *Mary (Formerly) *Laird Byron (Deacon and leader of the Scalled) *Nick Tremblay (Laird's mount) *Ethan *Anna Lee (Formerly) *Paul (Formerly) *Corgan *Lydia Degan Trivia *The cult was inspired by Peoples Temple.Indie Games Level Up! Interview with Philippe Morin **One of the more notable pieces of evidence behind the inspiration is at the very end of the game, in which Blake sees that all of the cultists at the Temple Gate have committed suicide, a parallel to the Jonestown massacre. This is further supported by the large amount of cyanide bottles laying on tables outside, which is what the Jonestown members used to kill themselves with. *The biblical Ezekiel was a Hebrew prophet of the 6th century BCE who was exiled to Babylon in 587 or 597 BCE and called for the Jews there to return to godliness and faith. He is the author of the Book of Ezekiel, which is named after him. References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Outlast 2 characters Category:Deceased characters